A Tory MP has apologised for shouting out "bollocks" loudly in the Commons chamber as MPs discussed the EU referendum.

Backbencher Michael Fabricant had been deeply, but succinctly, unimpressed with the claim the UK would lose £1.7bn of legal services work in the event of Brexit.

His outburst came after former Tory justice minister Jonathan Djanogly said as England and Wales have "by far the largest law firms in Europe" their businesses would be damaged if the UK voted to leave the EU on June 23.

Fabricant, sat nearby, shouted in response: "Oh, bollocks."

He later apologised - in a manner of speaking. "Mr Speaker may I personally apologise to you for inadvertently perhaps, or through frustration, using an eight letter word beginning with 'b' ending with 'cks' when a colleague of mine was raising yet another scare story about what a disaster it would be if we were to leave the EU. It was unseemly," he said.

Listen to the offending yelp below:

John Bercow told Fabricant while he had heard him use the word he had ignored it so as not to draw attention to it due to its "unseemliness"

He added: "However the honourable gentleman has now done so."

As noted by @ParlyApp, there is a fine history of the word "bollocks" being uttered in the Commons.

And in the same year, the SNP's Pete Wishart was told off for saying "total and utter bollocks" when discussing Tony Blair's case for invading Iraq.

During today's session, Michael Gove, who is campaigning for Brexit, also chewed on his pen thoughtfully as his junior minister Shailesh Vara told MPs why the government believes membership of the European Union is a good idea.

Vara who supports Cameron's 'Remain' campaign, said the government's position was that the UK "will be better off in the EU".

And he said it was "somewhat rich" of Labour MPs to be making fun of the Tory benches for being split given their own internal divisions.

The minister said he would make a "substantial bet" with any Labour MP that "in 24-hours at PMQs the cheer for my Rt Hon. [the prime minister] will be a lot louder than the cheer their leader will receive".